Mike Mulligan, a leading consignor at sales of 2-year-olds in training, was in stable condition, with a head injury, at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., March 9. Fasig-Tipton director of marketing Terence Collier reported March 10 that "they (doctors) are changing his medication levels today to raise him to the next level (of consciousness). All vital signs continue to be progressing."

The 2009 NATC Colt and Filly Futurities will be run at Monmouth Park, the National Association of Two-Year-Old Consignors announced Feb. 6. It will be the fifth time in eight years that the races will be held at the New Jersey track.

The four major U.S. sale companies - Barretts, Fasig-Tipton, Keeneland, and the Ocala Breeders' Sales - have issued a set of uniform policies that will govern medication, prohibited practices, riding crops, and horseshoes, effective with the Feb. 17 OBS selected sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Last year, for the first time, all sale companies that conduct major juvenile auctions in Florida, Kentucky, and California tested horses for drugs following pre-sale under tack shows. This year, two companies, Ocala Breeders' Sales (OBS) and Fasig-Tipton, are tightening their medication policies.

A general meeting of the National Association of Two-Year-Old Consignors in Ocala, Fla., Tuesday evening focused on a number of concerns, including medication, perception problems in the media, and buyer confidence. Much of the meeting focused on industry unity and introduction of a slogan that promotes horses coming out of the 2-year-old sales: bid, buy, and race with confidence.

After meeting with Fasig-Tipton officials in Lexington Sept. 14, representatives of the National Association of Two-Year-Old Consignors reported that the auction firm will reduce the length of its Calder select juvenile sale from two days to one.

In a follow-up to their initial meeting Aug. 24, consignors who participate in 2-year-old in training sales announced Thursday evening a new organization called the "National Association of Two-Year-Old Consignors."